April 2011 has brought an above-average rainfall at our lodges in the bush. Consequently there has been exceptional vegetation growth. The grass is very high and the foliage on the trees is very thick. As a result, game viewing has deteriorated somewhat : the number of sightings of animals has not only been reduced but the sightings themselves are very often of short duration as the animals literally disappear into the bush.
See if you can spot all five!
Amongst the trees that is looking particularly good after all the rains is the Buffalo Thorn, Ziziphus Mucronata. The Afrikaans name is ‘ Blinkblaar Wag ’n Bietjie.’ As always, the Afrikaans language is very descriptive : ‘ blinkblaar ’ means ‘ shiny leaf ’ and ‘ wag ’n bietjie’ literally means ‘wait a while’. This is precisely what one has to do if one walks into the Buffalo Thorn as it has one long thorn pointing forward and a barbed thorn hooking backwards. So you will wait a while as you extricate yourself from this thorny acacia.
Buffalo Thorn
I have always been intrigued by the Zulu nation’s rich culture. As I live in kwa-Zulu Natal, I come into daily contact with Zulu people. One of their cultural folklores involves a deep-seated respect for the Buffalo Thorn. To the Zulu people the Buffalo Thorn is regarded as the burial tree insofar as there is a belief that the spirit of a deceased person enters the tree and as a result may be transported via the branches.
The Zulu name for the Buffalo Thorn is umPhafa and it is a common belief that anyone sheltering under an umPhafa during a thunder storm will be protected against lightning.
There are numerous medicinal uses for the Buffalo Thorn. The leaves, bark and roots are used in various cures for coughs, chest and stomach ailments including ulcers, healing of open wounds as well as internal bleeding.
The leaves are used by a number of browsers such as Nyala, Kudu and Black Rhino.
Historically the seeds of the Buffalo Thorn were used as a coffee substitute and the seeds were also ground to a powder and used for porridge and flour. I am told by a colleague who works in the Kalahari Desert that the Bushmen crush the leaves and use the juice as a binding fluid in their arrow poison.
My second son was at school with a son of the Zulu king, Zwelethini, and I am assured that the branches of the Buffalo Thorn are still used in venerating the graves of the Zulu royal family. All our local guides show great respect to the umPhafa while taking Viva guests on the Bush walks. Our tourists enjoy hearing these descriptions from our local tourist guides who have personal experience through their forefathers. The respect they show for this remarkable tree is a great positive.
One of the negatives that I am aware of in our local guides is their pronunciation of certain words in the English language. Apart from the normal South African accent which is sometimes difficult to understand for other Anglophone tourists from the UK, North America, Australia and New Zealand, it becomes even worse when a different pronunciation needs to be understood.
As a former teacher, I am acutely aware that the primary aim of guiding is to pass on information in an intelligible manner. To this end, I make it my business to try my best to accompany all our guides on their game walks and game drives so as to improve their communication skills. Clearly the tourist guide communication is not a one-way ‘teacher to student’ type dialogue but has to be an interactive two-way enterprise. I always emphasise clarity of articulation, proper volume control, intelligible pronunciation, correct use of vocabulary and guest empathy. The guides need to turn around and face the guests at sightings so as to ensure that the clients in the back seats also hear whatever is being said.
I recall spending a year working at the University of the Witwatersrand where I was involved in teacher training. I remember evaluating the effectiveness as a teacher of a particular PhD graduate. This fellow knew much more Mathematics than was required to teach a final year school course but, alas, had absolutely no idea of classroom control. The end result was complete classroom chaos in which he was unable to share that great depth of knowledge. And so it is with guiding. Our guides need not only to have the knowledge and the communication skills, but must have the desirable human attributes. A smiling face, a clearly obvious love of the job they are doing and a genuine concern that the clients have a good time on safari are critical components of a successful tourist guide. I am trying to assist all our guides (even our new trainee guide, Jarryd) to develop these qualities so as to allow for a memorable and truly unforgettable safari with Viva.
GAMEVIEWING REPORTS FROM OUR GUIDES
I spent a few days in early April at Tremisana and was reasonably happy with the game sightings. On Balule we saw lions fairly regularly but there was a major shortage of elephant sightings. I am grateful that our guests not only have safaris on Balule but also get a day or two in Kruger Park proper where we have not missed seeing elephants on a single day since 1996 !
I visited the owner of Oxford where we do our Bush Walks along the Olifants River. I was especially pleased to hear of sightings of Wild Dog and Nyala in this area.
While I was at Tremisana, we received terribly depressing news re Rhino poaching. You will recall that my January letter had a shocking photo of a dead and dehorned White Rhino that was resident in the Marc’s Camp area. Now we have reports of the death of two more Rhino – this time in Balule. These were poached north of the Olifants River not far from Phalaborwa. The total for the year is now over 120. This equates to a poached rhino a day so far in 2011. It is definitely time to implement a ‘shoot to kill’ policy when it comes to dealing with poachers – otherwise we must meekly accept that the rhino species is on the way out ! We also need the newspapers to let it be known that poachers will be shot dead if they are intercepted while doing their horrendously despicable thing !
To raise awareness of the rhinos’ plight, a friend of mine from Protrack, Spoon Phakathi, accompanied by Paul Jennings will walk from Musina ( on the northern border with Zimbabwe ) to Cape Town. It should take 3 months and on the way they will stop and talk to schools and communities about the critical responsibility we all have in protecting the rhino now and for future generations.
Monthly report for Bongani
This month I did many walks in Balule Game Reserve and a few sunset drives
General
I have seen many animals, sometimes very close to the lodge like elephants, two cheetahs and our resident hippo. We had a good sprinkling of rain as well and the vegetation is getting greener. On the way to where we walk, we come across two cheetahs eating a baby impala on the road. It was only a few metres from Tremisana Lodge. There were some jackals standing close by waiting for leftovers. On our return to the sighting, there was nothing left at all. We also had a great time with a leopard sighting on the Olifants main road. It was walking and looking at an impala that was 50 metres away. Leopard sightings in Balule are becoming more common.
Walks
We had lions roaring near us and we saw some giraffe, zebras and impalas running away from the lion calls. They were running towards us and we knew immediately that the lions were coming towards us. We tried to get closer but we did not see anything because the grass was very high. A few days later, the lions killed a zebra and we heard them fighting at the kill. We followed their tracks and we found them busy eating. It was a truly beautiful sighting and a little scary to see the lions while we were on foot. The next day I walked to the same spot to check if they were still there. Luckily we found them again, this time sleeping very close to the dam wall. There were four male lions and one female. We approached fairly close to them - about 30 metres and everything was ok. Behind us a big herd of buffalos were approaching as they were coming down towards the water. It was a fantastic place to be at, but some of my guests were a little worried. We decided to move away and we left the place in love and peace.
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Buffalos quenching their thirst at dam
Sunset Drives
At the beginning of the month, I did not hear of any elephant sightings. By month end we saw lots of elephants only in Balule Plains area and nowhere else. There were also many sightings of general game.
We are very worried about the rhino situation, because poachers are looking for them left and right. We make sure that we track them on a daily basis. We get very close to them and our guests take beautiful pictures. Every time we go out we make sure that our rhinos are around.
Rhino near Tremisana
Monthly report for Isaac
KRUGER PARK SAFARIS
28/3/2011
There was very little to see when we started the game drive.
At about 09h45 at the junction of Rabelais and Orpen road, two male Giraffes were fighting for the one female one that was around.
We took the Rabelais road and a few km further there was a big herd of Impala. The dominant ram chased some pesky bachelors who had tried to invade his female herd. All the female Impalas were all over the place and the blue wildebeest was also disturbed by all this movement.
On S40 around 11h30 a leopard killed a kudu calf. After eating part of it, it took the carcass up a tree, only about 20m away from the road. Two lionesses came to challenge the leopard. Fortunately the carcass was already on the tree and the lionesses could not climb up, so the leopard and its kill were OK. It was a fantastic sighting.
We drove 2 ½ km from the Timbavati picnic spot on S39 and had a great sighting of lions mating. One km from Nsemani dam two lionesses crossed the road just in front of the vehicle. There was a male following close behind. Before it crossed the road it rubbed itself on the branches and immediately another male followed behind. It was then was chased away by the first lion.
18/4/2011
Around 11h30 about 2km from Nsemane Dam on S40, there was a leopard that had a impala kill up a tree. The same leopard has been killing impalas almost every week in this area. We later took the S100 where we had a close-up sighting of a small herd of Elephants.
After lunch at Satara, about 1 ½ km out of camp we had yet another sighting of a different leopard with the carcass of an Impala on a tree. So we had two sightings of leopard in one day – pretty good and very interesting.
On H6 on the Nwanetsi road we came across three Cheetahs attempting to ambush some Zebra. The moment the Cheetah stood up all the Zebras ran away. The cheetahs came back to the road in front of our vehicle. They walked along the road for a few metres then went into the bush.
24/4/2011
Around 11h00 on the S40 a leopard was on the tree waiting to ambush some impala. Suddenly it came down the tree and walked behind us towards the impalas. Then it charged and tried to catch one of them. However it misjudged the distance and they all ran away.
A few metres away a scorpion was lying on the road and two Lilac breasted Rollers and a Redbilled Hornbill were competing to catch the scorpion. It tried to frighten them by appearing bigger. It grew taller by lifting its tail also to attack and the birds left it alone.
On the S127, a White Rhino passed between two big Elephants without showing any fear. On the Sweni road, about 12km in, a leopard was on the road walking slowly to ambush some impalas, but the impala were disturbed by the Swainson’s Francolin and they ran away.
As we drove a km away from the leopard sighting we saw a young male Elephant using its foot to test for vibration so as to check who has passed because we had driven past next to it.
Leopard up a tree
Monthly report for Mayneth
1/04/2011
On the Balule sunset drive we came across 14 lions on the Mountain View road. The pride was moving towards Bushbuck Dam in an attempt to ambush the wildebeest from a distance of 500m. They started to slow down and lay on the ground in front of our vehicle. As it looked like they weren’t really interested in the wildebeest, we left them and then drove back to the lodge.
2/04/2011
On our way out of the Kruger National Park just outside of Orpen Camp we found a lion and a lioness mating on the tarred road. When we stopped they moved off the road and sat close to our vehicle just looking at us.
6/04/2011
On S39 we had a good sighting of one lioness that was hunting. She stopped because of the noise of the car. It was about to cross the road and it stood only 10m away. We spotted another two across the river just sitting under the shade.
7/04/2011
We were doing the Balule sunset drive on the Mountain View road. There was a Giraffe staring in one direction. As we moved 200m closer, we saw 3 hyenas that were chasing a Zebra. The Giraffe also started running away and disappeared into the bush.
28/04/2011
Kruger National Park.
On the Rabelais road we came across three lionesses with 1 cub. The first lioness crossed the road in front of our vehicle and then the other one followed. They walked about 10m away leaving the cub behind and then one of them came back for it.
When we got to Girivana dam a leopard was lying on a branch of a tree. We drove towards S90 and had a great sighting of about 400 Buffalos that were competing for mud bathing with a Rhino bull. The Rhino was trying hard to go into the mud, but it was outnumbered by the buffalos. It eventually gave up the idea. About 5km from this scene there were two lionesses and a cub that had killed a wildebeest right next to the road. They were all sleeping next to the carcass.
NEWS FROM OUR LODGES
The hippo at Tremisana Dam has been coming and going. At the beginning of April we thought that the low water level would result in the disappearance of the hippo. He duly went and as soon as the rains fell, he promptly reappeared. Then the veld dried out by mid- April and the hippo went off again only to return by 20 April after another storm.
A hippo pod near Satara in Kruger Park
A herd of buffalo have also been coming and going and have been seen fairly regularly at the waterhole in front of the Lapa.
We have added new wardrobes and tables to chalets 1 to 4.
At Marc’s Treehouse Lodge there has been an increase in the sightings of rhino and a decrease in the sightings of buffalo. The nyala population seems to be fairly constant and the guests are always thrilled to get close up to these elegant antelopes. There have been a few sightings of arboreal snakes such as Boomslangs and Spotted Bush Snakes.
At Marc’s Adventure Camp we have had to add additional poles around the swimming pool after a young buffalo got through the existing barrier and fell into the water.
At Cheetah Inn there has been a notable increase in the number of Fruit Bats roosting under the main thatch roof at the front entrance. As it gets cooler, these bats tend to prefer the relative warmth under the thatch. The call of the male is a diagnostic and resounding “ ping ” – a lovely characteristic bushveld call to lull our guests to sleep.
NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS
Thankfully we had an above-average March and April to compensate for the quiet times in January and February. Advance bookings for the rest of the year look quite good. We reaffirm our commitment to keep our tariffs unchanged until 31 December 2011.
We have made a final call as far as a business decision re Cheetah Inn and Adventure Camp. Viva Safaris has sufficient accommodation at Tremisana ( 40 beds ) and Marc’s Treehouse Lodge ( 50 beds ). The excess accommodation at Cheetah Inn and Marc’s Adventure Camp, although good to have, is not absolutely essential. As a result, we have decided to consider offering these last mentioned venues on a long term lease basis. We have engaged the top estate agent in Hoedspruit and will also be advertising the lease possibilities in various travel forums.
This year we shall not be operating from a stand at Indaba. Instead we have decided to engage more staff at Indaba who will roam around. We look forward to meeting all our friends, both old and new.
GUEST COMMENTS
We received the following email which was also posted on www.tripadvisor.com
“Viva Safari's deserve the Viva! lol!”
Kruger National Park
lesley_greyling 1 contribution
Durban
“When I heard that Stan and Elizabeth from Canada would be coming out to visit me in April, for only a week, I knew I had to make it an unforgettable week. Stan had always joked about being Tarzan in a treehouse, and so I knew I HAD to get him that experience. And that is how I found Marc's Camp and Viva Safaris! I exchanged numerous emails with Piero in making the bookings, and managed to get treehouse number 2 for Stan and Elizabeth, which is a cute treehouse with the branches of a real tree growing through and in the house itself. It was also not too high, taking into consideration Stan had knee surgery last year. From the moment we arrived, it was a great adventure! Elizabeth saw her first SA snake, a Boomslang. Nyala wandered in the riverine bush, watching us shyly as we walked past, and I woke to the sounds of buffalo noisily drinking from the river right below my treehouse! Elizabeth did confide in me that she was a little nervous about the treehouse, having never been in Africa before, but luckily that did not last, and she had a great stay. Stan however loved it from first sight! We had a great first day, kicking off with an awesome drive with guide Bongani at Tremisana. this was followed by a delicious dinner where we met, laughed, and chatted with other guests. Breakfast overlooking the river is a wonderful experience, and Stan and Elizabeth enjoyed a full day in Kruger with other guests (I sadly had a meeting). They saw two different sightings of cheetah, which is amazing, as well as many plains game, and their guide, Isaac, was knowledgable and friendly. That night we rocked the bush with laughter and consumed good wines and creamy Amarula's! I think I deserve commission as yet another couple fell in l ove with this creamy South African tipple with its quiet kick! It rained that night, but I felt snug treehouse number 4, listening to the rain fall on my roof and the trees my home from home was nestled in. When we had to finally leave it was with a heavy heart, great memories, and new friends.! All the staff were amazing, Isaac, Bongani, Fiona, Piero, Trevor... awesome people! They listened to everything I asked for and somehow managed to supply it, even upgrading our drive at no extra cost. Well, they gave us all except a lion sighting in the wild, but as Bongani explained, if he showed everything to us the first time, we would not return! I am forever grateful that you all made Stan's treehouse dreams come true and I will indeed return! ”
It is always so good, in fact, fulfilling, to receive such feedback !
Kind regards
Piero
Dearest Piero
 I am just dropping a note to say THANK YOU! Stan and Elizabeth LOVED their treehouse experience, and their stay at Marc’s Camp. Fiona and ALL the staff were really great, and although I tried to be a little incognito, lol, it was awesome to run into an ex-student, Bongani, and go on a drive with him.
The KNP trip arranged for Stan and Elizabeth with Isaac was also apparently a winner of a day, sadly I had a meeting and could not go with, but they saw two different sightings of cheetah, which is awesome. I for one will come back!
Warmest regards and greatest thanks – you and I shared many an email prior to the trip, and you listened to everything and attended to every detail!
Regards,
Lesley Greyling
Hi Florence,
Welcome back in France but I miss South Africa...
Thanks for Your kindness and hospitality. Definitely, You and Your team are in the right way to drive us in love with South Africa and especially with Viva Safaris...
I promise You, I'll cook for You next time... french cook
Best remembers and Tchüss
JP
Where do I begin ? ........
I guess first of all a BIG THANK YOU is well deserved by you guys!!!!
I had the most wonderful time whilst on the Viva Safari Educational : )
Thank you Anthony for everything at MoAfrika....your Lodge is great, so wonderfully decorated and together with the atmosphere there and your brilliant staff, honestly makes one feel at home straight away...that is most important to our clients.
I love your dogs at the Lodge, they contribute to a great experience at your lodge.
Your staff at the lodge, they are sooooo friendly and went out of their way to make us feel at home and the breakfast was wonderful.....thank you so much.
The trip from MoAfrika to Tremisana was long but beautiful as I have never been outside of the Western Cape and it has been a dream of mine to see the landscape of Mpumalanga, I'm not sure if you can imagine what it meant to me - Thank you.... oh and Dullstroom...what a beautiful little place...Wow.
Upon arrival at Tremisana, we were graciously welcomed by Florence who always seem to have a huge smile on her face : )
I loved the monkeys at Tremisana and the Tremisana garden is BEAUTIFUL.
The rooms at the Tremisana is real comfortable and everything so neat, just as at MoAfrika.
On our very first Game Drive we saw a White Rhino, he was just a few metres away, eating away allowing us to watch him, that was wonderful.
The next day we went to Kruger and saw such a lot of animals, crocodile, Hippo, Impala, Lion, Giraffe etc, of which I am sending some photos I took...my favourite ones.
I never actually realised just HOW BIG the Kruger National Park is....my mind cant even grasp the extend of 3.5 million hectres.
Then we went to Marc's Treehouse....spiders were my friend there, whether I liked it or not...ha ha
Luckily Fiona were very informative and advised that these spiders everywhere are not poisonous.
Fiona was honestly so overly accommodating towards us and the other guests, she really does everything so well and she also made us feel at home the second we arrived.
She has understanding for everyones fears and things with regards to everything at the Treehouse and goes out of her way, even carrying our bags in order to accommodate us and make us comfortable.
Just as at Moafrika and Tremisana, the food was great at Marc's Treehouse.
We had pea soup which was out of this world, wow!
Overall everything was great and such a wonderful experience....thank you so very much to everyone at Viva Safaris and MoAfrika.
Oh and did I mention it was my first time flying!!!!
Yes...no jokes...ha ha
I wish everyone at Viva and Moafrika a wonderful 2011. May business flourish and many blessings come for all.
Kind Regards
Jolana Victor
Until next month...
With kind regards,
Piero
General Manager
Viva Safaris
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